Of Feasts and Tales and Scary Things
by StarDuchess
Summary: Collection of Halloween drabbles and ficlets based on prompts from DramioneDrabble on LiveJournal. Some funny, some scary. FINAL PROMPT UP! COMPLETE!
1. Niffler

**Title: On Luna's Crazy Hunt**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Word Count: 580**

**DramioneDrabble's Halloween 2011 prompt 1: bats, forest, niffler**

**Notes/Warning: some swearing**

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><p>"Dammit, Hermione," Draco cursed as he tripped on a tree root. "Why did we agree to go on Loony Lovegood's dangerous Halloween scavenger hunt? There is too much flora and fauna that would willingly eat us out here."<p>

"Draco, we have perfectly good protection charms on us. Besides, this isn't the Forbidden Forest, just a normal one."

"Ow, this bloody thing bit me!" He raised his trouser leg to inspect the wound, but there was no puncture.

"Honestly, you're imagining things, but at least you stumbled onto the Vampire Willow Root." Hermione magically cut off a smaller root sample and placed the object in her charmed handbag.

The red sparkles matched her red devil's outfit well, Draco thought. A saucy little vixen indeed.

He, of course, was dressed in a white angel suit, complete with glowing halo hovering over his head and white wings behind. She had wanted to dress as the angel, but he had reasoned with her that it was the only thing that would match his platinum locks. He looked blotchy in red.

That the meanings of the two costumes were the opposites of their personalities was not lost on anyone, especially when they had arrived together at the Halloween party. Hermione had the biggest smirk on her face when she walked by a flabbergasted Ron, while Draco attempted to play the innocent angel.

The act lasted until they had gone on this … excursion. What was that chit thinking sending them all out in the middle of the night?

"What's next?" Hermione asked.

Draco cast Lumos and read the parchment. "Baskerville Hound hairs, three stones from Ghost's Den, and a niffler. What! She wants us to bring the bloody thing back with - agh!"

A small furry animal had scurried up his arm and began attacking the rings on his left hand.

"Get it off!" He shook his hand trying to dislodge the creature.

"Oh, good work," Hermione praised him. "That is certainly one way to get them to come out of hiding. Hold still." She sent a mild stunning spell at the niffler before Draco could protest, then caught it up into her handbag.

"Is it going to be alright in there?" he asked with a bit of incredulity.

"It'll be fine. We won't be carrying it for long anyway. Knowing Luna, she'll probably want to raise them all as pets."

Before he could respond, a fleet of bats came charging through the trees in their direction. Hermione screeched. Draco grabbed her and pulled her down, covering them both with a shield charm from the onslaught. Luckily, they passed quickly, intent on their midnight snack.

It was then that Draco noticed how close Hermione was and how flushed she looked from the terror. She looked so alive and delectable. He pulled her close for a warm kiss that soon turned needy.

She broke it off. "Oh, no. We still have two more items to find. I want to win this year."

"I don't know that we want whatever Lovegood's cooked up as a prize," he said, thinking of the bags of Pumpkin Tea - bleh! - she had bestowed on the Patil twins last year for winning.

Hermione bent over to show her cleavage and said, "If we win, I'll make it worth your while."

Draco paled a little before his breathing picked up at the implications of that. "Then, by all means, let us find that Ghost's Den."

Perhaps their costumes fit them better than anyone suspected.


	2. Fairy

**Title: The Latest Product**

**Rating: G**

**Word Count: 400**

**DramioneDrabble's **Halloween2011 prompt 2: candy, cauldron, fairy****

**Notes/Warnings: none**

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><p>Hermione walked into the entry hall and scanned the devastation. Furniture was blown to bits and shards of glass and ceramics lay strewn over the floor. Smoke coated the walls and ceiling with more wafting up from the dungeon stairway.<p>

Arriving at the potions lab, casting to dispel the smoke in the air, she could hear chattering and violent squeaks and low muttered curses. The place was a shambles. Cauldrons were knocked over and potion ingredients were scattered everywhere. Draco stood with his arms akimbo next to a burnt concoction, his eyes blazing with indignation at the fairies flitting about, quarreling with each other, shooting gobs of magic in every direction - hence the chaos.

"What in the world, Draco?" she asked.

"I was preparing a new Halloween treat to be sold at The Familiar's Emporium; however, the fairies won't cooperate."

Hermione blinked. Anger raced through her. "Malfoy! Are you trying to kill them?"

"Don't be daft, love," Draco sneered, "I've got a perfectly good charm to preserve them as they are dipped into the candy syrup. The problem is that they don't want to be licked and bitten by little witches and wizards later after they've been bought." Draco pointed to one example over on the table who was glaring at him while trying to lick the sticky sugar off.

"Why don't you place them in a small bubble first? Then the candy won't be directly on them. The bubble could burst once a third of it has been consumed, and the fairy would be free to fly away," Hermione suggested.

Draco stared at her for a moment, expression unreadable. She was afraid he would hex her for coming up with a better solution, but he simply nodded and said, "Yes, that could work. It would make the final product slightly larger and bulkier, but the packaging would fit better. Why don't you cast the bubble and I'll dip?"

They worked in tandem for half an hour, carefully preparing the treats. Once they were done, she surveyed their handiwork. The rectangular sweets glowed from the fairies within, like amber in firelight.

"They're breathtaking, Draco. They should sell very well," Hermione said.

"Yes, they will," he said with confidence. His eyes sparkled when he looked down at her. "But they're not half as amazing as you."

She blushed in acceptance of the compliment, as he placed a kiss on her forehead.


	3. Boggart

These are all now late for Halloween as I have had loads of work to do and was without Internet service over the weekend. But there's nothing saying we can't extend Halloween all week, right? Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Title: Her Deepest Fear<strong>

**Rating: PG-13**

**Word Count: 200**

**DramioneDrabble's Halloween2011 prompt 3: vampires, portkey, boggart**

**Notes/Warning: little bit of horror**

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><p>She was rummaging through an abandoned warehouse, tracking down a Dark artifact which her informant claimed to be here. The place was musty, ill-lit, and crawling with Dark magic.<p>

Opening up another crate, the thing inside unfolded itself and began to reach out for her.

Hermione shrieked with absolute terror.

It couldn't be what her eyes told her it was. Even with wizard space or a shrinking charm, there was no way he could have fit in there.

Thinking of the most humourous thing in the world, she cast, "_Riddikulus!_"

Draco's image took on spectacles, braces, pimples, redneck boots and a ten-gallon hat. She laughed herself silly while stuffing the boggart back into its box.

Finding the item her museum wanted, she portkeyed back home, safe and sound.

"Did you find it?" a silky voice whispered in her ear as strong arms came around her.

She turned her head and smiled up at him. "Of course I did. They don't call me the best artifact hunter for nothing."

She leaned up for a kiss but stopped halfway when she saw his eyes turn red.

"That's my girl," Draco said.

Her fear became truth as his fangs descended onto her throat.


	4. Banshee

**Title: Lost and Found**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Word Count: 326**

**DramioneDrabble's Halloween2011 prompt 4: chocolate, enchanted, banshee**

**Notes/Warning: little bit of horror**

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><p>Draco walked briskly around the next bend in the corridor and swore at the three possible paths in front of them. "When will this bloody maze end?"<p>

Hermione trailed behind him while casting direction-finding charms. "It's no use. The magic in this place is messing with my compass spells. Even marking which way we've come doesn't help as they are erased a moment later."

Deciding on the left passage, they rounded a corner and startled the floating woman who resided there. Her face flared in anger and she shrieked at them.

"A Banshee! RUN!" Clasping hands over ears, they ran haphazardly taking turn after turn.

Finding themselves at a dead end, they stopped and panted. They listened in fear of pursuit, but all was quiet. Hermione sagged with relief, even though her heart would not stop pounding.

A dark square was thrust under her nose. "Chocolate? It'll help dissolve the fear."

"Among other things," she said vaguely as she took the sweet from him. "Thanks."

After calming down, Hermione noticed a small mark on one of the lower stones. "This is one of the markers I put down in a corridor. What is it doing at a dead end?"

"Well, it is an enchanted castle."

"That's the key then, Malfoy!" Hermione looked like a kid at Christmas. "That's how we get out of the maze." She closed her eyes and envisioned the way out, pointing her wand in the direction of the marker, and chanted Portus. In the flash of an instant, the wall disappeared and the main corridor of the ancient place came into view.

"Brilliant. Perhaps I should have fed you the chocolate sooner," he smirked.

"Oh, hush. At least, we won't be seeing anymore of that Banshee."

"Point. Let's hurry and make it to the Halloween feast. I'm starved." Taking her hand, Draco led her out of the Hogwart's Mysterious Maze put up just for tricks and treats and sauntered back to reality.


	5. Mummy

**Title: Adventurous Spirit? - Not Tonight**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Word Count: 139**

**DramioneDrabble's **Halloween2011 prompt 5: lantern, broomstick, mummy****

**Notes/Warnings: bad humor**

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><p>Hermione flung open the bedroom door, clearly annoyed.<p>

"Malfoy, what is taking so long?"

"Just last-minute touch-ups to my attire, luv. What do you think?"

He stepped from the shadows into the lantern's glow, the strips of linen which covered his whole body looking soft and warm and inviting.

"What are you wearing?" she asked aghast. "This is not a Muggle Halloween party; it's the Ministry's Annual Samhain Feast. You cannot go dressed as a mummy."

"You get to unwrap me later ... go for a ride on my broomstick."

She stared at him for a full beat.

"That is the worst pick-up line I've ever heard. Get dressed _properly_ or your broomstick won't be going anywhere tonight."

She stormed out of the room the same way she came in.

Draco looked crestfallen. She'd always liked his adventurous spirit before.


	6. Pixie

**Title: Her Hero**

**Rating: R**

**Word Count: 100**

**DramioneDrabble's **Halloween2011 prompt 6: ghost, cemetery, pixie****

**Notes/Warning: sex, but nothing too explicit. I won a shiny prize for this one!**

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><p>He had climbed through muck and mire, fought off legions of ferocious creatures, and braved the tempest sounds of the guardian just to be with her.<p>

As he thrust deep within her, his body singing with desire, triumph evident on his face, he looked down at his bushy-haired beauty and kissed her.

Coming up for air, she gasped, "What brought this on?"

"I deserved a Halloween treat after saving Crookshanks from the cemetery's rosebush, negotiating with the damn Pixies for citizens' rights, and listening to Peeves natter on at the feast tonight."

"My hero," she agreed, and kissed him again.


	7. Veela

**Title: Trial along the Journey**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Word Count: 670**

**DramioneDrabble's **Halloween2011 prompt 7: candle, manor, Veela****

**Notes/Warning: slight violence**

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><p>Hermione surveyed Malfoy Manor with some pride. The decorations were festive in amber and marmalade colours; gold and silver and crystal glinted from all points in the rooms; her guests were pleasant and having a good time, dressed to the nines in splendid robes. She would never have imagined such a scene belonging to her during her years at Hogwarts, but the years after the war had found them all changed.<p>

She had become interested in Draco when he'd decided to take the Healers' courses during uni. She had watched as he struggled to regain honour for his family name. She had finally helped with his volunteering. They had grown a rapport together, slowly into friends, and even more slowly into courtship. His wit was still impeccable - dry and to the point - but she could handle it, and she gave as good as she got. Not too long ago they had married, which had given the final boost to his social comeback. She didn't mind; she liked the pretty affairs and was glad to be working on something positive to bridge the gap in blood statuses.

Surveying the room once more, she noticed Draco talking to an unknown blonde. The woman was dressed as a white peacock, which would have fit in with their garden, and she was swaying from side to side in time with the music. Draco seemed entranced.

A little too entranced.

Hermione walked over to them. "Excuse me, darling, but I need to have a word with you about the new goblin regulations for Muggle currency exchange, if you don't mind. Draco?"

He wasn't turning to look at her. He wasn't acknowledging her at all. This was completely off.

"Excuse us, miss," she said to their guest, then attempted to pull Draco away.

He fought her. "No, I have to stay here. I need her."

"What you need is a good swift kick in the crotch," Hermione returned, yanking even harder.

"No, he is mine," the woman hissed. She began to dance more seductively, undulating her hips and running her feathers along Draco's skin.

"Oh, no, you don't." She took out her wand and started throwing hexes.

When the first landed, the woman screeched. So did half the women in the room.

Hermione kept pulling her husband back, but she happened to glance around and saw most of the men had starstruck looks on their faces, especially the ones closest to them. Then, she knew … _Veela_. The creature's appearance changed, her head becoming more bird-like and her body becoming dragon-ish in shape and texture. She looked hideous. The other attendees not under the thing's influence were screaming and running about, upending trays, knocking over candles, trying to pull their partners away, or calling for the Aurors. The party was in a shambles.

With great anger at the chaos, Hermione began firing off more deadly spells. The Veela fought back by flinging fireballs at her. She cast shield charms on herself and Draco, hoping her guests would have enough presence of mind to do the same. The creature shrieked some more. Flames scorched the walls; garlands of autumn flowers toppled everywhere.

Once the Aurors came in and subdued the creature, carting it off to the Ministry's Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Hermione took in the destruction of her home. Most of the physical damage could be fixed, but the overall mood was depressed. What worried her most, however, was the shaken look in Draco's eyes. He looked so guilt ridden, almost the way he had during the war. She dismissed her guests, thanking them for coming and apologising profusely for the interrupted gala. They seemed to understand and not hold it against her, but with Wizarding society, one never knew for sure.

It didn't matter. Now was not the time to worry about such things. Now was the time for cosseting her husband. With any luck, they would be able to put this night behind them and continue their journey forward through life.

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><p><strong>AN: And that concludes this year's Halloween challenge 2011. I hope you liked them all. Thanks for reading!**


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